Senior Thesis Option
Students pursuing the Senior Thesis option must, in their senior year, arrange to register for six (6) to eight (8) credits of 691/692 Senior Thesis, or 681/682 Senior Honors Thesis, in consecutive semesters for three (3) to four (4) credits each semester. Students are responsible for contacting a faculty member whom they would like to act as the Senior Thesis Advisor; the Legal Studies Advisor can assist students in the process of selecting a Senior Thesis Faculty Advisor. Students must have the approval of the Senior Thesis Faculty Advisor before registration because the student will register for thesis credits in the department of the Senior Thesis Faculty Advisor. A student will not be able to register for thesis credits until after meeting with that Faculty Advisor. Students who plan to attend law school or graduate school and who maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better at the beginning of the senior year (86 credits) are strongly urged to select the Senior Thesis option.

The purpose of the Senior Thesis is to allow students to focus their interests and develop knowledge in one area of the field. Students may choose any Legal Studies topic for the Senior Thesis. The project involves using the library to review existing research and conducting original research designed by the student under the supervision of a Faculty Advisor. Early planning is best. Students contemplating the Senior Thesis option should schedule a Legal Studies advising appointment at least one semester before registering for Senior Thesis credits. During the advising appointment, students will obtain the Legal Studies Senior Thesis Handbook, discuss proposed research topics, and receive Legal Studies approval for the proposed topic.

A copy of the Senior Thesis paper, approved by the Faculty Advisor, must be submitted to the major Advisor upon completion of the project. The Senior Thesis Faculty Advisor also must provide the Legal Studies department with a Thesis Evaluation (a copy of which is in the appendix of the Senior Thesis Handbook).

Honors in the Major
To earn a B.A. with Honors in the Legal Studies Major, students must first declare Legal Studies as their major and then apply for admission to the Legal Studies Program honors program (the entrance requirements are listed below). Students working for Honors in Legal Studies must complete the standard major requirements.

Legal Studies Honors Program Entrance Requirements

• Declaration of Legal Studies major
• Admission to the L&S Honors Program
• a 3.3 or above overall GPA
• a 3.5 or above GPA in courses listed as part of the Legal Studies major
• Completion or current enrollment for honors credit in at least one course listed in the Legal Studies curriculum

Honors Program Requirements (in addition to the standard requirements for the major)

• 15 credits from the courses listed in the Legal Studies curriculum must be taken for honors credit
• a 3.5 or above GPA in all Legal Studies curriculum courses
• Completion of the research design and statistics requirements during the junior year

Honors Thesis. This must be a two-semester project (Legal St 681/682 or the equivalent course in the Advisor's home department). Normally, the thesis will include thesis-planning activities during the junior year (which might be done in conjunction with the research design and/or statistics courses). Under special circumstances, an honors student may petition the Legal Studies associate director to waive the thesis requirement and substitute two graduate-level courses taken during the senior year.

For information about non-credit internship opportunities, visit the L&S/HE Career Services Office located at 905 University Avenue (telephone 262-3921).

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